Arch support



Patented Aug. 22, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

This invention relates. to a foot support which may be constructed as a permanent part of a shoe or as an insert for a shoe and has for the primary object the provision of a device of this character which will properly support the heel of a foot to provide better balance of the body of a person through the use of a particularly shaped cushion heel pad which combines in one unit a heel shock absorber, tali support and heel balancer. The pad not only absorbs the shocks ordinarily transmitted to the body of the wearer but also keeps in proper position the heel bone which acts as a rudder to the foot, thereby maintaining correct alignment of the entire foot and u shifts the weight of the body to the outside of the foot and particularly at the heel and instep portion thereof, which permits the entire foot structure to function normally and in the manner intended by nature to the fullest possible extent.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a cushion pad operatin-g in conjunction with the heel pad for supporting the cuboid region of the foot to eliminate any discomfort in said cuboid region due to the heel pad shifting the body weight to the outside of the foot and aids in the preventing of the formation of callouses and soit or hard corns on or between the toes, principally the fourth and fth toes.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a metatarsal cushion pad acting in conjunctionwith the heel and cuboid pads whereby the five metatarsal bones which support a certain amount of the body weight will be cushioned and supported in their correct and natural positions, consequently eliminating the possibility of .any pain in this part of the foot.

With these and other objects in View, this inreference is lto be had to the following description Figure is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a bottom plan View illustrating a modified form of my invention.

Referring indetail to the drawing, the numeral l indicates a backing strip constructed from a good grade of leather or some other suitable material and includes a heel portion A, instep portion B and a metatarsal portion C. The outer side edge of the strip is indicated by the character 2 and is substantially straight while the inner side edge is indicated by the character 3 and of a compound curvature providing at the instep portion B and gradually merging into the heel portion A a flange 4 which curves upwardly to contact the inside of the instep portion of a foot.

Cushion pads 5, 6 and 'l are secured on one face of the strip l. The pad 5 is known as the heel and tali pad, the pad 5 is termed the cuboid pad, and the pad 'l is termed the metatarsal bone pad. These pads are constructed of a high grade cushion rubber or some other material suitable for the purpose and are cemented or otherwise secured on the strip' l.

The heel and Itali pad 5 is of elongated formation covering substantially the entire heel portion A and a part of the instep portion B of the strip l and extends diagonally of said strip l so that a portion of said pad 5 will underlie the flange 4. The pad 5 is of the greatest thickness, as shown by the light color shade lines in Figure 1, and gradually decreases in thickness therefrom towards the edges thereof, as shown 4by the dark color shade lines. The thickened portion of the pad 5 forms a cushion ridge 8 which extends from one end of the pad 5 and terminates short of the other end of said pad and gradually increases in width from one end to its opposite end, as best shown in Figure 1. The cushion ridge 8 also may be said to be arranged slightly diagonally of the vpad 5 from one end thereof toward the opposite end of said spad. The ridge 8 thus located on the pad 5 will tend to throw the body weight of a person on the outside of the foot, it being substantially under the center line of the body 1 Weight stress and directly under and in perfect alignment with the ankle bone at the anterior of the calcaneous or heel bone which'maintains said heel bone in proper position for its rudderlike action on the foot. Thus the entire foot structure will be maintained in perfect alignment. The shifting of the body Weight on the outside of the foot as above mentioned is proper in accordance to all laws of nature and thereby brings about proper and complete functioning of all vention shown in Figure l.

parts of the foot and which will strengthen foot muscles and permit free circulation of blood in the foot.

The cuboid pad t is of substantially triangular shape in outline, as shown in Figure l, and the thickest part forming the ridge is indicated by the character 9 and is also of triangular shape in outline. The pad 6 from the ri-dge s gradually decreases in thickness towards all edges as plainly shown by dark shade lines in Figure l. The pad t is located under the instep portion B of the strip i, to one side of the pad and close to the outer edge of said strip i so as to support the cuboid region of the foot to prevent the formation of callouses, corns and the like on and between the fourth and fth toes of the foot. The inner instep portion B is thus left substantially directly unsupported.

The pad F is shaped by having a straight edge disposed transversely of the backing strip I and spaced forwardly of the pads 5 and 6 and a substantially arcuately curved edge. The ridge or raised portion of this pad is of the general outline of said pad 'i' and is indicated by the character iii. The pad 'i gradually decreases in thickness frorn the portion le towards the edges of said pad. The pad i thus curved will support and cushion the five metatarsal bones of the foot and as said bones carry a certain amount of the body weight it will support the five rnetatarsal bones in their correct and natural positions and thereby eliminate the possibility of pain in this partof the foot.

Referring to my modified form of invention, as shown in Figure 6, the backing strip ii is somewhat of the general shape of the strip l except that the instep portion and the metan tarsal portion are of a slightly increased width over the strip l. In each instance the strips i and H have perforations l2 to permit circulation of air therethrough. The heel and tali pad is indicated by the character i3 and it is shaped to conform to the heel portion of the strip il and a part of the instep portion having a straight edge. and several curved edges. The ridge of the pad i3 is indicated by ts-,e character lil and is located closer to one end thereof than to the other end. The ridge lil is the greatest thiol;- ness of the pad i3 and the latter gradually decreases in thickness from the ridge l towards its edges. The ridge iii performs the same function as the ridge 8 as heretofore described tending to throw the body weight of the person on the outside o the foot.

The cuboid pad is indicated by the charac.- ter i5 and is of elongated formation with opposite Side curved edges, the curvatures of said side edges extending in the direction of each other to reduce the width of the medial portion of the pad over the end portion.

The metatarsal pad it is substantiaily in accordance to the pad 'i'. The modified form of the invention has the sarne action on the foot as described in connection with the form of in- If desired, a. thin layer of cushion rubber may be placed over the pads and one face of the backing strip with the perforations extending therethrough. The layer referred to is not show-n in the drawing and forms no essential part of this invention except to provide a better `appearance and a frictional Contact between the backing strip and the inner sole of a shoe.

Foot supportsV constructed in accordance with the foregoing when used in shoes will permit on the inside edge of the instep p walking comparable to the conditions natural to a persons walking barefooted on such surfaces as sand, grass and soft ground, all weight bearing surfaces being cushioned and supported. Thereby blood circulation is stimulated throughout the entire foot, natural and normal use of all of the foot structure is made possible and stimulated, and the usual causes of foot pain and discomfort are largely eliminated or entirely overcome. The use of the foot supports also tend to remove many of the remote pains throughout the body of the wearer caused by distorted foot conditions and poor blood circulation in the feet.

What is claimed is:

l. A foot supporter comprising a backing strip shaped to provide heel and instep portions, a supporting and balancing pad secured on the strip and substantially covering the heel portion and a part of the instep portion and having a ridge to direct the body weight of a peru son onto the outside of the persons foot, a supporting pad under the metatarsal section of the foot, and a balancing and supporting pad under the cuboid section of the foot, but the instep of the foot being substantially directly unsupported.

2. A foot supporter comprising a backing strip shaped to provide heel and instep portions and shock absorber secured on the strip and substantially covering the. heel portion and a part of -the rearward instep portion but leaving the instep proper substantially directly unsupported and having a ridge to throw the body weight of a person onto the outside of the heel and instep thereof and located directly under and ZE in perfect alignment with the, ankle bone of the persons foot, said pad being of a greater length than the width thereof and decreasing in thickness from said ridge in the direction of the edges thereof, said ridge extending from one end of the pad and terminating adjacent the other end of said pad and the width thereof gradually increasing from one end to its opposite end.

3. A foot support cornp"" "ng a backing strip shaped to provide heel ar instep portions and having a substantially straight outside edge and a compound curved inner edge providing a flange ion andrcurving upwardly from a plane of the instep or heel portion, a cushion shock absorber heel pad secured diagonally on the strip and substantially covering the heel portion and a part of the real'- ward instep portion but leaving the instep proper substantially directly unsupported and a portion of said frange and including a ridge extending substantially the full length thereof and vadapted 'to be positioned under and in perfect alignment with an ankle bone of a persons foot to throw the body weight of the person onto the outside of the heel and instep thereof, and a supporting cuboid cushion pad secured on the instep portion of the strip and located in close proximity to the substantially straight outside edge of the strip and adapted to support and balance the outer of the foot anc. to prevent the heel pad from eX- erting a twisting stress on the foot.

4. A foot support comprising a backing strip shaped to provide heel and instep portions and having a substantially straight outside edge and a compound curved inner edge providing a flange on the inside edge of the instep portion and curving upwardly from a plane of the instep and heel portieri, a cushion shock absorber heel pad secured diagonally on the strip and substantially covering the heel portion and a part of the rear.-

ward instep portion but leaving the instep substantially directly unsupported and a portion of said ange and including a ridge extending substantially the full length thereof and adapted to be positioned under and in perfect alignment with an ankle bone of a persons foot to throw the body weight of the person onto the outside of the heel and instep thereof, a supporting cuboid cushion pad secured on the instep portion of the strip and located in close proximity to the substantially straight outside edge of the strip and including a portion presenting a ridge with the remaining portions of said cuboid pad decreasing in thickness from the ridge to the edges 'thereof in a manner to support and balance the outer side of the foot and to prevent the heel pad from exerting a twisting stress on the foot.

5. A foot support comprising a backing strip shaped to provide heel and instep portions and having a substantially straight outside edge and a compound curved inner edge providing a ilange on the inside edge of the instep portion and curving upwardly from a plane of the instep and heel portion, a cushion shock absorber heel pad secured diagonally on the strip and substantially covering the heel portion and a part of the rearward instep portion but leaving the instep proper substantially directly unsupported and a portion of said flange and including a ridge extending substantially the full length thereof and adapted to be positioned under and in perfect alignment With an ankle Ibone of a persons foot to throw the body weight of the person onto the outside of the heel and instep thereof, a supporting cuboid cushion pad secured on the instep portion of the strip and located in close proximity to the substantially straight outside edge of the strip and including a portion presenting a ridge with the remaining portions of said cuboid pad decreasing in thickness from the ridge to the edges thereof in a manner to support and balance the outer side of the foot and to prevent the said heel pad from exerting a twisting stress on the foot, and a supporting metatarsal cushion pad secured on the strip to support the metatarsal bones of the foot.

6. A foot supporter comprising a backing strip shaped to provide heel and instep portions; an elliptical heel supporting pad positioned diagonally of the heel portion of the backing strip and having its upper surface spherically curved to define a central longitudinal ridge adapted to relieve the inner portion of the heel of the weight of the body and to direct the said weight to the outside of the foot; an auxiliary supporting pad disposed on the backing strip laterally of the forward end of the said heel supporting pad and under the cuboid section of the foot to support and balance the rear of the foot and to prevent the said heel supporting pad from imparting a twisting stress thereto; and a metatarsal bone pad spaced substantially forwardly of the said heel supporting and cuboid pads, said metatarsal bone being spherically curved in cross section with the greatest thickness at the center and sloping downwardly to the peripheral edge thereof, the forward edge being arcuately curved and the rear edge being straight and positioned transversely of the backing strip in a manner whereby it will balance and support the metatarsal bones in their correctly aligning positions, but leaving 'the instep portion of the foot substantially directly unsupported.

7. A foot supporter comprising a backing strip shaped to provide heel and instep portions and having the inner rear edge thereof curved upwardly to support but not elevate the inner rear portion of the heel; an elliptical heel supporting pad positioned diagonally from the rear outside to substantially the rear of the instep portion of the backing strip and having its upper surface spherically curved to dene a central longitudinal ridge adapted to relieve the inner portion of the heel of the weight of the body and to direct the saidI weight to the outside of the foot; an auxiliary supporting pad disposed on the backing strip laterally of the forward end of the said heel supporting pad and under the cuboid section of the foot to support and balance the rear of the foot and to prevent the said heel supporting pad from imparting a twisting stress thereto; and a metatarsal bone pad spaced substantially forwardly of the said heel supporting and cuboid pads, said metatarsal pad being spherically curved in cross section with the greatest thickness at the center and sloping downwardly to the peripheral edge thereof, the forward edge being arcuately curved and the rear edge being straight and positioned transversely of the backing strip in a manner whereby it will balance and support the metatarsal bones in their correctly aligning positions, Ibut leaving the instep portion of the foot substantially directly unsupported.

HAROLD F. SWANT. 

